Can You Hear the Music #2

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My Aunt married a man who is Paiute. When I was young, he and their children would dance for us at our family gatherings. I remember how I would feel watching them dance. I would hear the rhythm of the drum, the song my uncle would sing, see their beautiful intricate regalia’s and their dance. What I didn’t understand as a child was that they were in fact praying for us as a family. 

I called my Uncle to see if he had any photos I could use for a painting reference. He did and as we spoke he explained the significance and symbolism in this sacred ritual, which helped me have an even deeper connection and love for this painting. For the Paiute, all dances are prayers. When a special blessing is needed for anything, it is more powerfully expressed through dancing. Dances can be done for individual needs or several dancers can pray for a common cause strengthening the power of their prayer. They dance for family, their people, for healing and for those who cannot dance for themselves. Which I thought was beautiful. This might be due to age, health or just struggling inside. Each Dancers Regalia is sacred and unique. It has been made and blessed especially for them. It bares their family colors and symbols. Each feather and article of their regalia is blessed to communicate with a higher power, drawing greater strength into her prayer. Each Eagle feather on his or her head points toward heaven and draws the spirit into their body, drawing greater spiritual power to their prayer. Their moccasins are sacred and holy and each time they touch Mother Earth, their prayer gains strength and becomes more holy. Each dance is as unique as each prayer. Through revelation they dance and act out what they are praying for. Sometimes they all dance at once, with the same prayer in mind enabling their prayer to be even more powerful.

As I painted I was reminded of a story I heard a few years back about a Doctor who was working in a clinic on a Navajo reservation. An old man came in to see him. “How can I help you today?” the doctor asked. The old man sat quietly. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what is wrong.” said the Doctor. The old man slowly turned to him and said, ”Can you dance?” It then occurred to the doctor that this man may be a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication. “No, I don’t dance. Do you dance?” replied the doctor, the old man thoughtfully nodded his head. “Could you teach me to dance?” asked the Doctor. It was then that the old man looked him in the eye and said, “ I can teach you to dance, but you have to hear the music.” 

Sometimes in our homes, we successfully teach the dance steps to our children, but are not as successful in helping them to hear the music. And as the old medicine man well knew, it is hard to dance without music. Dancing without music is awkward and unfulfilling. We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. If we just go through the motions of our spiritual rituals without understanding and feeling the spirit behind them then there is no joy or growth in our actions. 

“With Faith She Danced” is part of a series that I have been doing. I hope that you will feel the special spirit of this painting each time that you look at it and the prayer of this Fancy Shall Prayer Dancer will bless you, your home and your family.